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Postgame interview with Akinori Iwamura

Postgame interview with Akinori Iwamura

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I've seen you speak a lot of English on the base path out there. Can you say in English what you felt when you saw that ball go over the wall?

AKINORI IWAMURA: Very excited (smiling). As soon as I hit the ball, I hit it real good, so I knew it was gone. But at the same time this is what Joe says all the time: "Run the bases." So first thing in my mind was to run the bases. As soon as I heard the horn, the home run horn, that's the time when I actually realized it was a home run.

For someone who hasn't hit a lot of home runs, it's hard not to notice that four of them came against the Red Sox and you picked your spots. You hit big home runs. Talk about that? Did you just kind of rise on up?

AKINORI IWAMURA: Actually, I was very focused at that at bat, and especially when we faced Boston or important games like some games in playoffs. My concentration level goes up.

Tonight I was fortunate enough to hit the ball hard, and it went away, and I was glad about it.

How hard was the transition from third to second base? And who is the Japanese Bill Mazeroski that Joe told you to go find to get instruction from?

AKINORI IWAMURA: The transition I made from third to second I really thought went decent, especially I have to earn trust amongst the infield first. Then the new things that I faced was a double play, especially a guy sliding into me, and I have to avoid those hard slides. That was a new thing. I think I made a transition right there.